From NYTimes: University of Florida claims it owns use of alligators in connection with sports:

Universities Tell High Schools Logos Are Off Limits

Marc Serota for The New York Times

Dr. Robert Egley, the headmaster at Glades Day School in Florida, which was told by the University of Florida to stop using the Gator logo because it was a trademark violation.

By ADAM HIMMELSBACH

Published: November 26, 2010

Glades Day School sits on the edge of swampland in Belle Glade, Fla., and its headmaster, Dr. Robert Egley, often drives past alligators lazing in canals on his way to work. When the school was founded in 1965, its location made the Gator an ideal mascot, and its logo, aside from being green and gold, was nearly identical to the University of Florida’s.

Egley, a Florida alumnus, said it was a form of flattery. But this year, Florida said it was a trademark violation, and the university demanded that the 390-student private school cease use of the designs.“It just hurts; it has a sting to it,” Egley said. “We send them our students, we send them our money and we support them. It just flies in the face of common sense that they would come after us.”

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(h/t Skip Oliva)

Update: The Florida State Seminoles are at it too: Florida State-Bradenton Southeast logo war over. (H/t Mike Muehleck)